I orginally posted this on ENWorld, but wanted to share my good fortune with my fellow Paizoians . . . Paizoites . . . Pazuzu, Pazuzu, Pazuzu . . .
Well, the day is drawing nigh, I am going to start my 15-year-old daughter and several of her friends on their initial foray into the world that is Dungeons and Dragons.
For quite some time, my wife has not been too keen on the idea, and my daughter didn't seem interested. It was only as I was preparing for my normal monthly game in October that the daughter voiced an interest and the wife relented. While playing with my normal group, some of my daughter's friends stopped by and one of them mentioned that she'd "always wanted to play D&D but didn't know how". So, this Friday, a rather eclectic group of adventurers will be coming together to begin their (hopefully) illustrious careers while tackling "Mad God's Key." (I toyed with starting with "Box of Flumph" but MGK has a better way to get them involved without the tried and true "hired to do something scene")
I call the group eclectic because the party is composed of:
- half-elf male druid (daughter)
- half-elf male druid (twin of daughter's PC, played by female) - not sure parents will let play
- halfling female monk (played by male)
- dwarf male cleric (played by male)
- half-elf male sorcerer (played by female)
- human male ranger (archer specialist, played by female)
- ?? - played by male
- ?? - played by female (possibly rogue)
I'm sticking to Core only at the start, so an not to overload them, but I'll add more as we go along (I do love psionics).
The campaign is going to be set in a world of my own design with The Game Mechanics' city of Liberty as the centerpiece. I've got a potential campaign thread in the works, but I"ll also let them decide what to do next based on the hints, hooks, and clues I plan to drop along the way.
I haven't played with a bunch of "noobs" (I guess that's the term) since I was one myself, but am looking forward to Friday night.
Paizonians. :)
This sounds awesome, good luck!
Yeah! the more D&D players, the better (also, there are precious few female gamers, as seen in the thread on the 'evil' of D&D). As Matt said, keep us posted!
It should be a lot of fun. I'll definitely keep you posted.
As an aside, the response I got from this board and from ENWorld couldn't have been any more different. On ENWorld I got several posts concerning the gender reversals character-to-player and worry about clearing everything with all the parents. Here I got nothing but excitement and encouragement. Just struck me as odd.
Oh, and "Box of Flumph" will be their second adventure.
|
As an aside, the response I got from this board and from ENWorld couldn't have been any more different. On ENWorld I got several posts concerning the gender reversals character-to-player and worry about clearing everything with all the parents.
There are many reasons why I prefer this community over others. :)
My 5 year old daughter is already expressing an interest in the game; I've promised her we'll give it a shot when she's able to read. :)
It should be a lot of fun. I'll definitely keep you posted.
As an aside, the response I got from this board and from ENWorld couldn't have been any more different. On ENWorld I got several posts concerning the gender reversals character-to-player and worry about clearing everything with all the parents. Here I got nothing but excitement and encouragement. Just struck me as odd.
Oh, and "Box of Flumph" will be their second adventure.
My thought is simple: If you did not think they could handle a gender change you would have voiced your concern :) Therefor no one should say a word about that.
Parental Concern is of course always something to think about but from what you posted I seriously doubt there will be a concern. And if the parents have question....Let them watch; I'd be willing to bet some of them would want to join :)
Really the only PC I'm worried about is the female halfling monk. I think that concept was born more out of what would be "funny" than "fun." But I think it will work out just fine. And if not, it might end up like that one corrollary to Murphy's Law of Combat - "24. Don't look conspicuous; it draws fire and 25. Never draw fire; it irritates everyone around you."
Halfing monks rock. Nothin' like packin' a punch in a small package. (The hin fist prestige class from the Forgotten Realms is a great example of this.) The slower speed of a Small character is quickly negated, and soon she'll be zipping around the battlefield like nobody's business.
It should be a lot of fun. I'll definitely keep you posted.
As an aside, the response I got from this board and from ENWorld couldn't have been any more different. On ENWorld I got several posts concerning the gender reversals character-to-player and worry about clearing everything with all the parents. Here I got nothing but excitement and encouragement. Just struck me as odd.
Oh, and "Box of Flumph" will be their second adventure.
Yep, that's pretty good. 'Least ye won' 'ave ta worry 'bout that, though if ye do, go onnu 'ere.
|
Hey BV210 – sounds cool! Have fun with the game.
I think Mad God’s Key is a really cool and fun scenario to start with. I ran that game a while ago with a group who were pretty new to 3.x and it went well – and formed the basis of a campaign arc that lasted until about level 6.
A couple of things I’d say about that adventure:
My new to 3E players had terrible trouble with the undead rat swarm near the end of the adventure, they kept trying to attack the individual rats with weapons, and didn’t have any area effect weapons and spells anyway. I can’t remember if the swarm can be turned – if so, that might be the solution. Anyway, I’m just giving you a heads-up, as that almost turned into a TPK in my game.
|
Hey BV210 – sounds cool! Have fun with the game.
I think Mad God’s Key is a really cool and fun scenario to start with. I ran that game a while ago with a group who were pretty new to 3.x and it went well – and formed the basis of a campaign arc that lasted until about level 6.
A couple of things I’d say about that adventure:
** spoiler omitted **
I ran that adventure a while ago, and I'm a big fan of it. I think it has a nice mix of action and investigation, and provides a good intro to the game. A couple of things I noticed while playing through it:
My group also had trouble with the undead rat swarm at the end. One thing I failed to notice in the adventure (if it's even there) is that undead swarms are actually turned as if they had half the hit dice they actually do. If I remember correctly, this drops them from 8 to 4 and makes it possible to turn them.
Also, the final encounter can be very difficult. If the cleric gets to buff himself and the owlbear, first or second level PC's will have a hard time taking him down. You may not have this problem, as it looks like you have more PCs than I did when I ran the adventure.
Forget e-zines and new editions....THIS is what causes the game to grow.
Good on you for taking up the challange. Keep it simple, keep it fun and they'll come back and look up the more complicated bits themselves. Hopefully, that'll make your job easier too.
And remember, you're allowed to have fun as well!
Managing eight character group with newbie players will be the biggest challenge, I'd say...other than that, you'll have to see how gender changes work (newbies can be surprisingly good at roleplaying things many oldtimers shy away from or havetrouble with).
That halfling monk might indeed be going more for "funny" concept, but again, see how it plays out (and having a funny character is not a bad thing).
Personally I have a rule that no PC (at least those played by newbies) dies in the first session, so if you wantto keep on that, prepare to fudge the encounters towards the end of MGK (which indeed is a fun adventure, as is Box of Flumph).
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
|
Two things come to mind.
Don't be afraid to advise them. "Do you want to search for traps?" "Anyone have spellcraft?" "If you move here, the rogue can get sneak attack..." Don't tell, advise.
As to the rat swarm; don't forget to remind the cleric they can turn undead, and you might want to hint alchemist fire is good.
And remember, you're allowed to have fun as well!
That's been my philosophy since I started playing D&D oh so many years ago. Don't let the rules (or whatever) get in the way of having fun.
Don't be afraid to advise them. "Do you want to search for traps?" "Anyone have spellcraft?" "If you move here, the rogue can get sneak attack..." Don't tell, advise.
Oh yeah, there will be much coaching, I'm sure. I'm going to bring an NPC (possibly a bard, but maybe a tank fighter if none of the kids create one) to provide that "guidance".
I think the boat chase in the early scene of Mad God's Key is going to be a lot of fun while also giving a real-time lesson in skills that aren't just swinging weapons.
Congrats on a new group and on adding to our ranks. We need things like this to swell our ranks.
I'm not familiar with MGK but in a group that large (my group often encompasses 7 players) I would suggest making sure that combats don't get bogged down. An 8 player group will go through combats very sloowly and that can be frustrating, especially to new players.
And coach them as much as necassary. Give them hints. Do what you can to get them hooked on the hobby.
Good luck and keep us aprised.
BV210: I expect you are in for a real treat. An entire crew of neophytes, oh the novel approaches, questions, dialog ... you I think shall reap the greatest rewards from this campaign I expect. Nothing beats sheer youthful exuberance combined with n00bness in any tabletop RP game imx!
Have a blast, even better - get a campaign journal going for it! (Unless it's a one-off game ... I do hope not...)
Have a blast, even better - get a campaign journal going for it! (Unless it's a one-off game ... I do hope not...)
Yeah a journal would be great.
I kind of miss the days when I was so new to the hobby. It seemed like every time we played we learned a new nuance, fought a new monster, or encountered a new situation.
Well, they made it about halfway through "Mad God's Key." I'll post more later, but wanted to let you know I hadn't forgot about my requirement for an after action report.
I love new players. HIgh schoolers can be fun to play with, and I've watched my brother DM often enough to attst to the fact that most beginging characters are often thought of as something more 'funny' that 'interesting'. One thing to watch out for is the instinct that younger players have to turn the game into WoW/hack-n-slash. You seem experianced enough that it won't but if left unchecked, those teenagers will start killing everything in sight.
They actually did pretty well. In fact, they were almost hesitant to start a fight the first encounter. The biggest problem was keeping the players focused. (Not that my regular, adult gaming group has that problem . . .)
To recap the party makeup: (Oh, and the gender issue didn't even come into play whatsoever, not even mentioned)
half-elf druid
elf fighter (had a baaaaad Drizzt fixation and wanted to play a drow - I said not right now)
elf monk
elf rogue
human cleric
elf gutter mage (NPC)
The halfling monk and human(?) ranger couldn't make it.
Not trying to be a tease, but I will add more details later as I don't have but a moment right now. Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all, and they all seemed genuinely excited that the game would continnue at a later date.
|
|
They actually did pretty well. In fact, they were almost hesitant to start a fight the first encounter. The biggest problem was keeping the players focused. (Not that my regular, adult gaming group has that problem . . .)
To recap the party makeup: (Oh, and the gender issue didn't even come into play whatsoever, not even mentioned)
half-elf druid
elf fighter (had a baaaaad Drizzt fixation and wanted to play a drow - I said not right now)
elf monk
elf rogue
human cleric
elf gutter mage (NPC)The halfling monk and human(?) ranger couldn't make it.
Not trying to be a tease, but I will add more details later as I don't have but a moment right now. Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all, and they all seemed genuinely excited that the game would continnue at a later date.
AWESOME! Glad to hear they had a good time, I run a game of my own with my wife and some friends, and then I run my 8 yo twins thru some Eberron adventures. One plays a Tibit rogue, that we changed to be halfling sized, cuz I think that's more realistic. and the other plays a Warforged fighter. My twins are big gamers already, they like to play Heroclix and DDM in addition to D&D. heh.
Alright, as promised, a quick report on how a group of new players comported themselves while taking on "Mad God's Key" from Dungeon 114.
Spoilers Below . . .
When the newly formed party noticed the two thugs ransacking the locksmith shop across the street they were at first unsure what to do. Finally, the rogue (who kinda took on the leadership role) went over to find out what was going on. The rest of the group began to follow, attempting to talk until the thugs pulled their daggers and the fight was on. One of the thugs was quickly dropped and the other immediately surrendered. Theldrat (the locksmith) arrived and they party learned of the missing key. They also learned of the stolen book from the city watch members who came to arrest the two would-be thieves.
It was fun to listen to the players try to figure out what to do next. At first, some wanted to go and find out more about the book, while the others wanted to seek out Irontusk (the PCs made a successful Intimidate check to get that piece of info from a thug). Finally, the decided, since they were sort-of hired by Theldrat to seek out Irontusk on the docks.
The chase along the docks was fun, comical, and ultimately successful. At least three of the PCs were victimized by the boat full of fish and ended up flat on their backs. The monk finally got close enough to land a punch on Irontusk, who promptly smacked her with his club. The player's response? "I run away." Much laughter ensued. While Irontusk was attempting to untie his boat and escape, the druid and his wolf animal companion made it over and were able to knock the half-orc unconscious (the monk had previously landed a pretty good punch). From Irontusk (another successful Intimidate check) they learned of the Green Daggers and headed that way.
At the Green Dagger hideout, they managed to get into the building via the barricaded door (thus alerting the occupants). The rogue as very obsessive-compulsive about checking every door for traps (at least until the door trapped with the iron sphere trap - much to her chagrin). They fended off the krenshar and took down the downstairs guard (and learned to love flanking during the krenshar encounter). When they made it into the Grand Staircase room, they started skirting around the chandelier (all of these kids are Phantom of the Oprera fans), but promptly forgot about it when the bad guy in that room made an appearance. In the rush to try to get to her, she dropped the chandelier on 3 of them, but were eventually successful.
After finding one of the pit traps in the Chamber of Veils the hard way (I omitted the pair of halfling rogues as the PCs were pretty beat up and time was running short) they encountered the head of the gang and were able to glean information from him without having to fight.
Time ran out before we could go any further, but when they put together the gang's illness and the missing book, there was a massive "aha!". The players took some actions that were outside of typical class roles (i.e., the cleric started opening doors as he had the most hit points), but they worked together pretty well for a bunch that are still learning the basic rules.
All in all, it was a very fun evening, and I look forward to playing with them again. A couple of them are already talking about forming a D&D club at school.
Ok, sounds like a successful first session, good luck with the Cairn.
Noticed that the group is pretty low on meatwall ability, that will become an issue in long run...
Keep going, it sounds like you are headed towards a lot of fun.
With the D&D club at school, I would advise to wait a while to see if the excitement from the first game holds on, or if it was a "hey, its new! its cool!" effect that might wear off quickly.
Stefan
Noticed that the group is pretty low on meatwall ability, that will become an issue in long run...
Yeah, that may be a great learning moment down the road. Of course, having a pair of monks may alleviate that to a certain extent.
I'm considering letting them level up so they aren't just one-shot-wonders.
Noticed that the group is pretty low on meatwall ability, that will become an issue in long run...Yeah, that may be a great learning moment down the road. Of course, having a pair of monks may alleviate that to a certain extent.
I'm considering letting them level up so they aren't just one-shot-wonders.
Weren't your teenage players already at the point of advancing a level?
And with 2 monks, they have a moderately formidable meatwall as is ... if they elect to tag-team thier foes, booting them in the head often and with great enthusiasm. All the cleric has to do is sit tight behind 'em. ^_^
I myself have recently discovered that my 12yo nephew, and one of my neighbor's 12yo son are both interested. I entertained the idea of inviting them to join my monthly group, but have also entertained the idea of asking them each to find one other friend and starting a group just for them.
I orginally posted this on ENWorld, but wanted to share my good fortune with my fellow Paizoians . . . Paizoites . . . Pazuzu, Pazuzu, Pazuzu . . .
Well, the day is drawing nigh, I am going to start my 15-year-old daughter and several of her friends on their initial foray into the world that is Dungeons and Dragons.
For quite some time, my wife has not been too keen on the idea, and my daughter didn't seem interested. It was only as I was preparing for my normal monthly game in October that the daughter voiced an interest and the wife relented. While playing with my normal group, some of my daughter's friends stopped by and one of them mentioned that she'd "always wanted to play D&D but didn't know how". So, this Friday, a rather eclectic group of adventurers will be coming together to begin their (hopefully) illustrious careers while tackling "Mad God's Key." (I toyed with starting with "Box of Flumph" but MGK has a better way to get them involved without the tried and true "hired to do something scene")
I call the group eclectic because the party is composed of:
- half-elf male druid (daughter)
- half-elf male druid (twin of daughter's PC, played by female) - not sure parents will let play
- halfling female monk (played by male)
- dwarf male cleric (played by male)
- half-elf male sorcerer (played by female)
- human male ranger (archer specialist, played by female)
- ?? - played by male
- ?? - played by female (possibly rogue)I'm sticking to Core only at the start, so an not to overload them, but I'll add more as we go along (I do love psionics).
The campaign is going to be set in a world of my own design with The Game Mechanics' city of Liberty as the centerpiece. I've got a potential campaign thread in the works, but I"ll also let them decide what to do next based on the hints, hooks, and clues I plan to drop along the way.
I haven't played with a bunch of "noobs" (I guess that's the term) since I was one myself, but am looking forward to Friday night.
As an aside, the response I got from this board and from ENWorld couldn't have been any more different. On ENWorld I got several posts concerning the gender reversals character-to-player and worry about clearing everything with all the parents. Here I got nothing but excitement and encouragement. Just struck me as odd.
The gender thing. I just don't understand it. I am pretty certain that with exception of one or two, every player I've ever gamed with has had a character of the opposite gender at some point (except for the gay guy, his characters tended to be "sexually ambiguous," but what they hey, right?). None of of the people I know ever walked away from the table with a psych problem from playing characters of another gender. Many of them are well-rounded, successful, happily married, church-going folk these days. Anyway, seems a lot healthier to me. Helps people identify with the other sex, which can't be a bad thing. Besides, imposing some sort of puritanical hang-up on kids can't be good for them. This planet could use a wee bit more open mindedness right about now.